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Chapter 192 Wang Lie's Enemies
As Arthur Eloun strolled slowly outside the penalty area, he turned his head toward the right flank, where a nimble figure was attempting to break through two defenders.

A thin layer of sweat covered his wheat-colored skin, shimmering in the bright Madrid sun, like a butterfly dancing in the sunlight.

He flicked the ball to his left with the outside of his left foot, seemingly intending to break through from the left. The defender in front of him immediately shifted his weight and lunged at him.

But before he could even turn around, with just a slight indication of turning, the ball was miraculously snatched back by the inside of his left foot!

At the same time, the "butterfly" moves its right foot sideways and pushes the football forward with the inside of its foot.

The ball slipped between the two defenders!

A gasp of surprise erupted on the training field.

Arthur didn't do that. Instead, after seeing the ball come out, he immediately ran diagonally into the penalty area.

"Butterfly" followed the ball through the gap between two stumbling players, looked up and saw Arthur already charging towards the goal, so he crossed the ball!

The soccer ball arced through the air and was precisely delivered into the airspace where Arthur was positioned.

The 1.88-meter-tall English center forward jumped up, stretched his body in the air, fully charged up his strength, and headed the flying football towards the goal!

Despite leaping into the air and stretching his arms as far as possible, the goalkeeper could not stop the close-range "lion's head" and could only watch helplessly as the ball flew into his goal.

"Pretty!"

Cheers and applause erupted from the training field.

After scoring, Arthur shouted towards the teammate who had provided the assist: "Joel!"

When the other player looked over, he gave a thumbs up: "Great shot! Great shot!"

Joel has a very youthful face, and after hearing the praise from the team's star player, he showed a shy smile.

Then he was lightly kicked in the butt.

He turned around and saw Nathan Costa, the team's midfielder, feigning anger, saying, "How did you manage to squeeze between me and Moulay?"

He and Mamadou Mullai were the ones who were defending Joel just now.

Before Joel could answer, someone next to him laughed, "I saw it clearly, Nathan. Joel first used a cow's tail, and then immediately followed it with a fried dough stick!"

Nathan Costa shook his head and remarked, "You should be Brazilian, Joel."

"Hey, are you looking down on us Spaniards, Nathan?" the Spanish players on the team jeered.

The team's veteran players were joking around, and young Joel stood there with a simple, honest smile on his face.

※※※

Next to the training ground of FC Madrid's first team is a two-story building, and on the second floor, directly facing the training ground, is a huge floor-to-ceiling window.

From the outside, the glass of this floor-to-ceiling window is like a mirror, reflecting the blue sky, white clouds, and bright sunshine, making it impossible to see what's inside.

But everyone knows that behind that huge floor-to-ceiling window is the office of the club's sporting director, Álvaro Pinin.

He often stood there overlooking the training field, observing the first-team players' training.

At this moment, two people are standing in front of the floor-to-ceiling window in this office: one is the owner of this office, Álvaro Pinin, and the other is the club president, Pablo Domingos.

“Joel Dellas, I’ve heard his name from many different people over the past year, and they all tell me he’s a super genius…and he is indeed an impressive young man.”

Domingos looked at the figure gleaming in the sunlight on the training field and sighed.

Pinin introduced him to the chairman, saying, "He is the treasure of our youth academy, Mr. Chairman. Although he is only seventeen years old, Jürgensen and I both believe that he should be promoted to the first team to participate in all the games of the new season."

"Does the head coach think so too?"

"Yes, this young man won over our new head coach in just one training session. Not only that, he's even prepared to change tactics so that Dellas can perform at his best."

Upon hearing the sporting director's words, Domingos was surprised: "Is he serious?"

“Jürgensen hopes the club can buy a high-level left winger so that he can work alongside Dellas on both wings,” Pinin said. “He also said that if we have two high-level wingers, plus Arthur in the middle, we have a good chance of winning back the league title in the new season.”

"Is Jürgensen that confident?"

"That's what he told me anyway."

“Hmm…” Domingos fell into deep thought.

Jankni Jürgensen took over as head coach of FC Madrid just two weeks ago. His predecessor, Ismail Campuzano, led the team to defeat in both the league and the Champions League last season, winning only the Copa del Rey. Such results were clearly unsatisfactory for a top club like FC Madrid, so he was dismissed after the season. FC Madrid then spent a considerable sum to poach the German "mini-treble winner" coach from Ruhr United.

In order to acquire Jürgensen, FC Madrid ultimately paid Ruhr Steel Union a €60 million buyout fee.

At the same time, they offered Jürgensen an annual salary of 20 million euros. Although it is not the highest annual salary in European football history, it is the most generous salary that FC Madrid has ever offered to its head coach.

After all, FC Madrid values ​​its head coach far less than its players.

Jankni Jürgensen certainly has some talent to earn the highest salary in the club's history at FC Madrid – he led Bundesliga powerhouse Ruhr United to a "mini treble" last season: defeating rivals Eczac Munich in both the Bundesliga and the German Cup, winning two domestic titles, and then defeating Portuguese giants FC Lisbon in the Europa League final.

Breaking Munich's monopoly in the Bundesliga is a remarkable achievement, making Jürgensen the hottest head coach this summer.

FC Madrid has to compete with several other clubs.

For example, Sofia United and Kensington also desperately need a high-level manager...

Both are Premier League powerhouses, but Madrid FC, as a "powerhouse among powerhouses," ultimately defeated two top-tier competitors and won Jürgensen's favor.

"Fulfill the head coach's requirements, Alvaro. Joel Dellas is not only the future of Madrid, but also the future of Spanish football as a whole. But he is still just a sapling, so we need to build a solid framework around him and provide him with support."

Upon hearing what the chairman said, Pini, the sports director, understood.

Joel Dellas is already the designated next core player for FC Madrid, and the club's resources will gradually be tilted towards this young man, not only in terms of technical and tactical resources, but also in terms of promotional resources.

Although Arthur Eloun is still the star player for FC Madrid, he is not a native Englishman and is already 33 years old.

Keep in mind that Pisano, who is also 33, was kicked out of the company...

If Arthur suffers a serious injury during his upcoming stint in Madrid, his future with this top club will immediately become uncertain.

Therefore, it is only right to quickly cultivate a new leader.

Of course, there is a prerequisite: the "new banner" itself must be able to stand firm.

Judging from the current situation, Joel Dras has undeniable potential, but whether he can grow to the level of Arthur, Rooney, and Wong is still too early to say...

Huh? Why did I think of Wang?
Pi Ning was startled by the name that suddenly popped into his mind.

Was it because his performance last season was so explosive that I subconsciously considered him an opponent?

It shouldn't be...

That was nothing more than a final burst of energy for a 38-year-old veteran.

Moreover, even if he is strong enough, he will still be dragged down by Tyne's overall strength.

Despite their seemingly good performance in the Premier League, the Premier League and the Champions League are two completely different levels of competition.

Do they really think that just by frequently making moves in the transfer market, they can quickly strengthen their squad to compete in the Champions League?

What a dream!

Rome wasn't built in a day, and neither were great families!

Pinin was so unhappy because he remembered being rejected by Vitini last season.

With Vitini's outstanding performance for Tajn and his role in helping Tajn qualify for the Champions League, this incident has been frequently brought up, seemingly becoming a reason for others to ridicule and attack FC Madrid.

Furthermore, if they had successfully brought Vitini to the team this summer, they would have also completed their task of finding an excellent left winger.

With two young wingers, FC Madrid will not have to worry about attacking firepower on the flanks for at least the next decade.

At the time, Pinin wasn't too bothered by Vitini's rejection, but now he regrets it...

So who made Vitini change his mind and dare to refuse Madrid FC? It was Wang Lie, of course, who always opposed Madrid FC and always tried to ruin their plans!

It's one thing to put on a show in the Premier League, but it'd better not let us meet in the Champions League, otherwise... the King of the Champions League will make Tyne regret having qualified for the Champions League!

※※※

"Madrid has really promoted Joel Dellas to the first team..."

"Is he training with the first team?"

"It's said that's not the case. A reporter covering the team in Madrid said that Jürgensen intends to register Dellas as a first-team player."

"That's not surprising, is it? After all, Dellas was already a big name in Madrid's youth team..."

"Hmph, a seventeen-year-old brat, dominating the youth team is one thing, but does he really think the first team is so easy to get by? Wait until this year's El Clásico, I'll show him the cruelty of professional football!"

……

In the first team locker room, the Barcelona players, preparing to start their day's training, chatted about the latest hot topics while changing their clothes.

Given its status as a hot topic, the selection of 17-year-old FC Madrid prodigy Joel Dellas for the first team's training camp is naturally the top trending topic in Spanish football. The players at Atlético Barcelona are paying close attention to this prodigy emerging from their arch-rivals.

After all, this will be their formidable rival in the future.

Joel Dellas's name has long been known throughout youth competitions at all levels, and he has broken the goal-scoring records of all levels of Madrid FC's youth teams.

It's safe to say that everyone knew he would join FC Madrid's first team and become a new icon for Madrid.

Now that day has finally arrived; he is about to embark on his first season with the senior first team.

Strictly speaking, Joel Dras is still 42 days away from turning 17; he's still in high school...

In the new season, he will have to play in the professional league while completing his high school studies.

If nothing unexpected happens, he will surely become a phenomenal talent in La Liga and even European football in the future.

It's understandable that the players at Atlético Barcelona are paying close attention to Joel Dellas.

However, Ronaldo, who was also in the locker room, did not participate and simply changed his gear quietly.

A teammate noticed his unusual behavior and asked him, "Ronald, what do you think?"

Ronier shrugged. "I don't really care. He's not even seventeen yet, it's too early to say what will happen to him. I'm not concerned about what happens to Dellas; I think it's more important to do our own thing."

Then he held up three fingers and said to all his teammates in the locker room:
"We've achieved a three-peat in the Champions League. Since the Champions League's rebranding, only two teams have done it, and we're one of them. That's a remarkable achievement. But guys, we're not the only one; the other is FC Madrid. They almost achieved another three-peat last season, but we stopped them! This is just the beginning. If we can achieve another three-peat, we'll be the only team in history to have won the Champions League three times in a row! Stopping them is only the first step; the second step is successfully defending our Champions League title this season. Dellas may represent the future, so let's build a huge monument for him!"

※※※

As captain, Ronier was the first to leave the locker room and go to the training field.

The other team members gradually emerged from the locker room. On their way to the training ground, they were still discussing the captain's energetic performance in the locker room.

"I'm not saying Ronaldo is wrong, I just think he might have overreacted a bit? Can someone tell me how the topic jumped from Dellas to our goal of winning three consecutive Champions League titles?"

“I also feel that Ronaldo seems to have changed a bit since he came back from Brazil…”

"Is it the prospect of winning the Golden Globe again that excites him?"

Hearing his teammates' discussion, Rooney's friend Rafa Pesas ended their conversation:

"Stop guessing, guys. He was just provoked by Wang..."

Everyone found it even more unbelievable:
"Were you provoked by Wang?"

"What does this have to do with the king?"

Pesas said, "Because the king has returned."

Everyone was stunned for a moment, then they realized what Pesas meant.

Wang is back, but not to Barcelona; he's back in the Champions League.

After a four-year hiatus from this top European football competition... and even the world's top football competition, Wang has returned to the Champions League stage.

After realizing what they'd said, they were puzzled again: "Does Ronaldo want to beat Wang in the Champions League? But we might not even run into him..."

Pesas explained, "It doesn't necessarily have to be a Champions League match against him. For Ronaldo, as long as the King is in that competition, it will motivate him. You all know about Ronaldo's 'obsession' with the King, don't you?"

His words brought a sudden realization to some, while others frowned deeply: "But what can a thirty-eight or thirty-nine-year-old king do? Ronier is right that Delas is only the future, but the king is already in the past. He doesn't want us to worry too much about the future, yet he himself is still obsessed with the past..."

Pesas did not refute his teammate's statement, but smiled slightly: "That's why he said he wanted to erect a monument for Delas, because he knows all too well how painful it is to be defeated and have no chance to win back."

Some of the teammates looked towards the training field in the distance and saw that their captain had already started doing some simple warm-up exercises, seemingly eager to begin training.

Some people recalled that Wang Lie's last participation in the Champions League was in the 2033-2034 season. In that season, Ronaldo led Atlético Barcelona to not only win the Champions League title but also achieve a treble.

Wang Lie then missed the Champions League for three consecutive seasons.

Of the three seasons, they only won the Champions League title last season.

And it wasn't just the Champions League title; last season they also staged a comeback against FC Madrid in the league, ultimately winning the title. If they hadn't missed the Copa del Rey final, given Ronaldo's form in the second half of the season, they might have even achieved a treble.
This isn't just wishful thinking on their part, because Ronaldo's form in the first half of the season wasn't actually that good, and Atlético Barcelona's performance in the league was also unsatisfactory. Otherwise, why would they need to reverse the situation against FC Madrid in the second half of the season?
So... was their captain motivated by Wang Lie's performance in the second half of the season last season?
※※※

After Wayne Tafetsov finished a set of yoga poses, he turned around and saw his wife standing at the gym entrance with a worried expression on her face.

"What's wrong, honey?"

So he asked.

"It's nothing, I just feel like you're spending more and more time at the gym lately, and I'm worried about your health..."

"Oh, don't worry, I care about my health too, that's why I practice yoga. It greatly improves the flexibility of my joints and muscles, and can significantly reduce my chances of getting injured," Tafetshov reassured him.

After saying that, he started practicing a different set of yoga poses again.

The wife, however, did not leave. Instead, she stood at the door watching her husband give her extra practice.

She wasn't actually worried about her husband's health; she was well aware that yoga could help with recovery.

What she was really worried about was her husband's mental state, fearing that he was under too much pressure.

She understood why her husband was under such pressure, because last season Eisablan Munich lost both the Bundesliga and the German Cup to Ruhr United.

They didn't even make it to the Champions League semi-finals.

The Bundesliga champions ended the season empty-handed.

Failure was not uncommon in her husband's career. Even playing for a top Bundesliga club like Ésaln Munich, he couldn't be a "perennial winner."

Moreover, he is already thirty-five years old and cannot stay at his peak forever.

But the failure last season had a particularly strong impact on her husband.

After Eczacıbaşı ended the season empty-handed, some media outlets dug up old scandals and questioned the club's management's "shady dealings":
Back then, Wang Lie's agent traveled all over Europe promoting his players, including to Eczacıbaşı Munich.

However, Eisablan Munich's management rejected the offer, citing that they "currently have no plans to sign a center forward."

This cannot be entirely called an excuse, after all, Eiza Munich's attacking tactics did not really need a center forward like Wang Lie at that time.

They have a free-roaming forward like Wayne Tafetsov, who can orchestrate attacks, deliver killer passes, and also score goals himself.

What use is Wang Lie then?

Are they coming to challenge Tafetshov for possession of the ball?
How can two tigers share one mountain?
Therefore, at the time, no one questioned Isa Munich's decision to reject Wang Lie; some even used it to mock Wang Lie.

However, just half a season later, with Wang Lie's success at Tyne and Eisár Munich losing the league title and the German Cup, the tone of the comments suddenly changed.

Media outlets criticized ESAB Munich's management for rejecting Wang Lie's offer as foolish and arrogant.

They just let a championship-caliber player go.

Some media outlets have even made this assumption: If we had signed Wang Lie back then, given his performance, could we have won the treble this year?
These media outlets not only criticized the club's decision to reject Wang Lie, but also questioned whether Wayne Tafetsov's ability and form could still satisfy the current Eisack Munich.

After all, he is already thirty-five years old. Can he still be a qualified captain and lead Isa Munich through the storm to the other side of victory?
Wayne Tafetsov, as captain and the team's absolute core player, bears full responsibility for the club's failure on three fronts last season!

These criticisms caused her husband great pain, which is why he's been training so hard every day, determined to prove in the new season that he's still the one who can lead the team to victory.

Perhaps only after the new season ends and Eczacıbaşı Munich reclaims its championship will her husband truly find peace...

※※※

"...After former head coach Jankny Jürgensen left to coach FC Madrid, Ruhr United finally finalized their new head coach...Sven Heldon, the Swedish coach who previously managed Sofia United, became the head coach of this Bundesliga defending champion..."

At the press conference, which was packed with reporters, Heldon's bald head was so striking under the stage lights that it made people unconsciously squint to reduce the amount of light entering their eyes and avoid being blinded.

This is completely different from his performance at the last press conference.

The last time he attended a press conference was when Sofia lost 0-9 to Tyne. He looked visibly haggard, and his whole body seemed ashen.

Now, the bald patch on his head looks like it's been chrome-plated, shiny and bright; the word "radiant" is now a tangible representation of his appearance.

However, his radiant appearance didn't last long, because the reporters weren't there to congratulate Heldon on his new job.

"Mr. Udogu, what were the reasons that led Ruhr United to ultimately choose Sven Heldon, who had been humiliated by Wang at Sofia United, as the team's new head coach?"

"Given Mr. Heldon's record at Sofia United, do you think he is the right person to manage the defending champions?"

Although the reporter asked the club's general manager, Moritz Udogu, the real target was Sven Heldon, who was sitting next to him.

Although there was no obvious change in Heldon's expression, the light above his head dimmed considerably.

Even though he's fled to Germany, Wang Lie's shadow still haunts him!
Just as Udogu was about to answer the reporters' questions, Heldon stopped him with a gesture and whispered to the general manager, "Please let me do it."

He then looked at the reporters, and could see the ill intent in most of their eyes.

He recalled the stories of slave ships, where the journalists were like a swarm of sharks following behind the stern, but this time he was not a dying, helpless slave.

He said:
"I understand everyone's concerns, but different teams are not the same. Different times and different environments will produce different results. I will prove that to everyone."

It would be even better if I could meet Tyne in the Champions League. When I beat them, that would be the strongest evidence for what I'm saying today!
Heldon said those last words through gritted teeth.

(End of this chapter)